För några veckor sedan besökte vår praktikant Annie Ljungby hembygdsförening. Här skriver hon om hennes upplevelse. 

Situated by the coastal county of Kalmar, where the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway were once united when the king Erik of Pomerania was crowned in the city, lies Ljungby hembygdsförening in a little town of Ljungbyholm just 28 minutes by bus from Kalmar central station. 

Some may not have heard about Ljungbyholm before but they are an agricultural town where grains have special importance in the community. The building that host the grain bank, called Sockenmagasinet, has two locks on the door which takes two people to twist the keys at the same time to open it. In 1803, Emerentia Brita Maria Bäckerström donated the grain bank to Ljungby parish. Today, Ljungby hembygdsförening takes care of the old grain storage house now with several other historical buildings around it and turned it into a museum where interesting historical items such as 100 years old cheese, traditional shoes repairing exhibit, and a family gathering room with a homemade jukebox and children’s toys, are on display while fika is served weekly there with local treats for visitors. 

I visited right before the museum was set to open to the public. Like many nonprofit organizations that focus on community and culture, they were affected by Covid-19 as they were not allowed to open for community events during the Covid-19 pandemic period. Furthermore, to transform a historical building into a visitor-friendly location, there was remodeling for fire safety needed along with the funds it takes to complete the projects.  Finally, this year the president, Lisbeth Svensson, and the rest of the volunteers of the association can open up the buildings to the public now. The volunteers have many stories to tell about the local history, and even made children's story books about the historical items they have in the museum. 

I was greeted by the volunteers with a delicious local treat called ostkaka, which is translated as cheesecake. Yet unlike the cheesecake known in the United States, ostkaka is very soft, light, and comes with local made fruit jam and whipped cream. Ostkaka is really hard to find in other places as it is a Småland special for fika. Hopefully, you will also be able to find ostkaka when you come visit Kalmar and Ljunby. 

For more information on Ljungby hembygdsförening open hours and events, please see their website

Public transportation from Kalmar C: Bus 403 Ljungbyholm Prebendevägen to the stop Fruskogsvägen